The University of Washington is the primary biomedical research University for the "WWAMI" region that encompasses Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. It is therefore critical that the IMSD program effectively promotes the development of URM scientists in this vital corner of the country. The long-term objective of the University of Washington (UW) IMSD Program is to increase the number of underrepresented minority (URM) students from the University of Washington entering and completing biomedical Ph.D. programs. To fulfill this objective, the IMSD program has brought together the faculty from key basic science teaching units, a governing body of dedicated individuals from across campus, and the UW Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMA&D) to continue the development and implementation of this educational infrastructure at UW for URM students to pursue biomedical and behavioral science majors and graduate PhD educational opportunities. The IMSD Program shall continue to focus on academic and experiential support systems for undergraduate students, with the expected outcome that 3 - 5 of these students annually will matriculate into graduate PhD Programs. The proposal will also continue to address support mechanisms for entering and current University of Washington biomedical and behavioral PhD students in support of their persistence, graduation, and entry into academia and industry. The specific Aims of the 2009 - 2013 UW IMSD Program are to continue to: 1. improve the academic performance of IMSD Undergraduate Fellows in basic science "Gatekeeper" courses;2. increase the quality of undergraduate research experiences for IMSD Fellows and the overall percentage of URM students in undergraduate research experiences;3. increase the percentage of URM students matriculating to graduate school in the biomedical sciences;and, 4. create new opportunities for professional development with URM PhD students By realizing these Aims, the UW IMSD will fulfill its mission of creating a successful mechanism which encourages URM scholars to pursue PhDs in the biomedical and biobehavioral sciences. Public Health Relevance Statement: The Program will help expand the numbers of students from underrepresented minority groups selecting and pursuing biomedical/behavioral research career paths. This has the potential to lead to more basic and applied research, diagnosis, and treatment of health disparities that many minority populations and underserved communities suffer disproportionately.